Increasingly consumers are placing online delivery orders with e-tailers (retailer selling goods via electronic transactions on the Internet) over the internet and with retailers over the phone. Consumers can be legal residents of single or multiple-family homes. For example, USPS (United States Postal Service) alone delivered approximately 750 million packages during 2016 holiday season and UPS (United Parcel Service of America) is expecting to deliver approximately 750 million packages during 2017 holiday season.
The e-tailers and retailers are accepting and processing delivery orders without having a means for the delivery persons or for drones to leave the goods inside recipients' living quarters without delivery persons or drones entering into the living quarters, without providing a means for delivery persons to leave the goods securely and guarded within the boundaries of intended recipients' property and without providing a means for Drones or Delivery Trucks to automatically transfer goods into Networked Consumer Lockers which are similar to mail boxes where mails are dropped.
The e-tailer and retailers engage outside delivery companies or use their own delivery services to deliver online orders. These delivery services use delivery trucks and delivery persons to deliver the goods. Without a secured way for the delivery persons to deliver the goods to intended recipients the delivery persons leave the goods at the intended recipients' front doors which is generally called door delivery or porch delivery. Some delivery services are trying to use Drones for dropping the delivery within the boundaries of intended recipients' property which is generally called drone delivery. This may work only for single-family homes and only for the goods that are safe to be dropped and safe when exposed to harsh atmosphere.
When packages are left at the porches unguarded they are susceptible for theft and thieves stealing unguarded packages from porches are called Porch Pirates and the process is called Porch Piracy. Porch Pirates typically tail a delivery driver and pounce on the merchandise as soon as the driver is out of sight. Without a viable option for intended recipients to receive packages other than porch delivery, the intended recipients are using deterrent gadgets like video cameras and alarms with sensors so that the intended recipients may get an alert and the alarm will go off. These gadgets do not prevent Porch Piracy but may deter Porch Pirates. Determined Porch Pirates can still steal the packages. Also, the intended recipients may not be online to receive the alert, by the time they receive the alert the packages might have already been stolen. Also, because these gadgets use sensors which are susceptible for any movement not just from Porch Pirates' movements, the intended recipients receive many false alerts. Companies like August Home and Ring provide such gadgets. August Home provides Doorbell Cam whereas Ring provides Ring Bell. Because the occurrence and the loss due to Porch Piracy is very significant, even law enforcement officers are becoming creative and are using GPS trackable bait packages to apprehend Porch Pirates. These UPS trackable bait packages have a device inside the package that will broadcast its whereabouts that can be viewed by law enforcement officers on their computer or mobile devices in real time. Law enforcement officers leave these GPS trackable bait packages in front of home door steps selected at random and wait for a Porch Pirates to pick up the package and then chase them to apprehend. Unfortunately, these techniques may not work, because the Porch Pirates can easily determine whether the stolen package is a bait package just by opening the package after stealing. Because, just by opening the package, the Porch Pirates can determine whether the stolen package is a bait, the package can be thrown away and the law enforcement officers can never be able to catch the Porch Pirates.
A report from insuranceQuotes.com released in December 2015 finds that an estimated 23 million Americans have had packages stolen from their homes. When packages are sent via the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS or other goods carriers are stolen after being left at recipients' locations, home or renter's insurance can help pay for the loss—minus any deductible. Unfortunately, most of the time the value of the packages sent each time would be much less than the deductible which may usually be more than $1000.00. Moreover, the premium for subsequent periods would raise because of one or more claims. Of course, the shippers may purchase insurance for the packages sent. The package insurance may not cover after the packages have been delivered to recipients' door steps. Moreover, the package insurance premiums are high compared to the value of the packages.
According to a report, published by NBC Nightly News on Dec. 11, 2015, the online retail sales for 2015 was estimated to reach $334 billion. According to a research report commissioned by August Horne and conducted by Edelman Intelligence published on Oct. 25, 2016 about 11 million U.S. homeowners have had a package stolen within the past year with the average value of packages stolen costing $200 or more to replace. The study was commissioned by August Home to promote their product August Lock and Doorbell Cam.
As an alternative to Porch Delivery some e-tailers and shipping companies have setup neighborhood delivery stations, with a group of delivery lockers, placed in the recipients' neighborhoods. The delivered goods must be picked up by the recipients from the delivery lockers. This is nothing different than US Postal Service holding mails or shipping companies holding parcels or retailers providing online order pick-up counters in their physical locations.
As an alternative to Porch Delivery and neighborhood delivery some employers have setup office delivery stations where the employees can opt to get the deliveries to their work locations. The delivered goods must be picked up by the recipients from their work location delivery lockers. This is nothing different than neighborhood delivery stations.
Currently several lockers are readily available that can provide door delivery where the lockers can be used by the delivery persons to securely leave the deliveries inside the lockers placed at recipients' door steps. These lockers have locks that can be opened with keys and combinations.
The most popular locker with a key is the Elephant Trunk Drop Boxes, like the one predominantly used by shipping companies to accept shipping packages. But, unfortunately the elephant trunk occupies most of the inner package space and only small and non-fragile packages can be dropped in. When many of the e-tailers are pharmacies, grocery merchants, restaurants and big item sellers etc., the Elephant Truck Drop Boxes may not be the best solution.
The example for a locker with a combination lock is Porch Pirate Bag. The delivery person can leave the goods inside an unlocked bag and then lock the bag with a combination lock left with the bag. The code to unlock the combination lock is preset by the Porch Pirate Bag owner. Porch Pirate Bags can be secured with a cable and lock to a front door, side gate, porch post or anywhere in the general area where packages are normally left. Once it is locked, delivery persons cannot open the bag to place the goods. They must wait until the bag is unlocked again by the bag owner or leave the package outside the bag. Because it is made of fabric, Porch Pirates can cut the fabric. Moreover, the Porch Pirates can lock the Porch Pirate Bag so that the delivery person cannot open the Porch Pirate Bag.
It is also possible for home owners to guard the packages left at their door steps without having a locker using package guard services. Such a service is provided by Package Guard where the delivery person would place the packages one above the other on top of the Package Guard. When a package stacked on the Package Guard is removed without the permission of the recipient the Package Guard will sound an alarm, but will not prevent the Porch Pirate from stealing the packages. Again, this is only a deterrent and cannot prevent.
Many times, the packages may be thrown away at the front doors causing damages to contents of the package.
Currently several companies like Walmart and Amazon are providing delivery services where the delivery persons can open the front door and leave the package. In order for them to provide this service Walmart has partnered with August Home to use their August Lock which is a door lock and Doorbell Cam which is video recording device and Amazon has partnered with Kwikset and Yale for electronic door looks and has developed its cloud cam known as Amazon Cloud Cam for video recording. The delivery person can use their cell phone or enter a one-time code sent to their cell phone to open the front door just one time and leave the deliveries inside the home. For security reasons all the activities of the delivery person will be recorded using a video camera. Unfortunately, the service using a combination of door locks and video cameras has several flaws.
A similar service could be offered without an electronic door lock and video camera just by providing a small opening in the door through which the goods could be dropped and would have similar flaws.
Many homes may already have security systems with alarms and with or without central monitoring service. Such security systems may already use security cameras and additional security cameras would be redundant and incur additional cost for recipients. Also homes with security systems get police permits. When any door or window is opened, or any movement or any noise sensed by sensors, the security system must be turned off immediately, if the security system is already on. Otherwise, the security system will immediately turn on the siren, notify the police and the monitoring company, if the security system is monitored. When law enforcement is notified about a security breach, then an officer will immediately be dispatched. When false alarms occur more than a few times then the home owner will be charged with a hefty fee.
Homes without a security system is a prime target for burglary. Burglars may not know whether a home is equipped with a security system or not. Delivery men entering into homes to provide Delivery Service would know whether a home is using a security system or not. This means that the intended recipients are giving away important security information.
Many homes have pets that are not on a leash while inside their homes. How the pets would react when a stranger enters a home when pet owners are not present is unknown. Also, delivery persons may not know the layout of the home where they are making the delivery and may get hurt. It is not clear who will be responsible for any mishap that can occur. If the home owners are liable, then it may not be acceptable to them.
Given the fundamentally flawed state of the art with respect to delivering goods to intended recipients' secured areas it is therefore the overriding object of the present invention is to improve over the prior art of delivery persons leaving the goods unguarded on porches or the prior art of delivery persons entering into recipients' secured private or living or business quarters by providing a system and related method by which the goods to be delivered will be safely delivered and protected until they are picked up safely from inside or outside of the intended recipients' private or living or business quarters or by providing a system and related method by which the goods will be automatically and safely transferred from Drones into inside or outside of intended recipients' private or living or business quarters where the delivered goods will be protected until they are picked up safely by intended recipients. or by providing a system and related method by which the goods will be automatically and safely transferred from Trucks to intended recipients' curbside where the delivered goods will be protected until they are picked up safely by intended recipients.
Given the fundamentally flawed state of the art with respect to picking up goods from intended recipients' buildings it is therefore the overriding object of the present invention is to improve over the prior art of shippers leaving the goods unguarded on porches or the prior art of goods carriers entering into shippers' secured private or living or business quarters by providing a system and related method by which the goods to be picked up will be safely protected until they are picked up safely from inside or outside of the intended shippers' private or living or business quarters by providing a system and related method by which the goods to be picked up will be automatically and safely transferred into Drones from inside or outside of intended recipients' private or living or business quarters where the goods to be picked up will be protected until they are picked up safely by goods carriers or by providing a system and related method by which the goods to be picked up will be automatically and safely transferred into Trucks from intended shippers' curbside where the goods to be picked up will be protected until they are picked up safely by goods carriers.
Goods can be delivered or picked up without triggering alarm monitoring systems and without entering the intended recipients' private or living or business quarters and the intended recipients can retrieve or leave the goods from inside of their private or living or business quarters. Such services could be called as Protected Consumer In-Door Delivery Services and Protected Consumer In-Door Pickup Services respectively and collectively be called as Protected Consumer In-Door Goods Services. Goods can also be delivered safely to porches or can be picked up safely from porches without leaving them on the porch that is accessible to Porch Pirates. Such services could be called as Protected Out-Door Delivery Services and Protected Out-Door Pickup Services respectively and collectively be called as Protected Consumer Out-Door Goods Services. Goods can also be automatically transferred from Drones or Delivery Trucks into Networked Consumer Lockers and vice versa without leaving them unattended on the curb. Such services could be called as Protected Curbside Delivery Services and Protected Curbside Pickup Services respectively and collectively be called as Protected Consumer Curbside Goods Services.
Such Protected Consumer In-Door Goods Services, Protected Consumer Out-Door Goods Services and Protected Consumer Curbside Goods Services can be easily and economically provided by the adaption of Networked Consumer Lockers built by using Networked Locks that are already available and/or will be available in the future.
Such Protected Consumer In-Door Goods Services and Protected Consumer Out-Door Goods Services can also be easily and economically provided by the adaption of Standalone Consumer Lockers built by using Standalone Locks that are already available and/or will be available in the future.
Such Protected Consumer In-Door Goods Services can also be easily and economically provided by using secured Common Areas which are protected by doors operated by using Networked Locks that are already available and/or will be available in the future or Standalone Locks that are already available and will be available in the future.
Such Protected Consumer In-Door Goods Services can also be easily and economically provided by using secured Common Areas which are protected by doors or garage doors or gates operated by using Networked Locks that are already available and/or will be available in the future or Standalone Locks that are already available and/or will be available in the future. Doors or garage doors or gates used for Common Areas will generally be referred as common area doors.
Increasingly buyers are placing online orders with retailers for pick-up of the orders thru verbal communication and with face to face communication at over the counters or at drive-thru windows placed in drive-thru lanes at retailer physical locations. Because of the fundamental design with over the counters and with drive-thru windows only one order can be processed at a time per counter or per drive-thru lane and only with verbal communication and face to face. Because of the fundamental design with drive-thru windows the wait time for buyers to pick up the orders is significantly high, and the number of orders handled by sellers is significantly low. According to an annual report from QSR Magazine (www.foodandwine.com/fwx/food/drive-thru-slower-2016) the average wait time for drive-thru orders in 2016 was 226.3 seconds. The wait times does not include the wait time spent by the buyers before starting verbal communication with the seller. The Longer wait times at drive-thru windows not only affect the buyers and sellers but also adversely affect the environment.
Given the fundamentally flawed state of the art with respect to over the counter pickups and drive-thru pickups it is therefore the overriding object of the present invention is to improve over the prior art of counter pickups and drive-thru pickups by providing a system and related method by which delivery counters and the drive-thru windows can be replaced with over the counter lockers and drive-thru lockers.
Such Counter Store Pickup and Drive-Thru Store Pickup can also be easily and economically provided by using unlimited number of counter store pickup lockers per location and/or by using unlimited number of drive-thru store pickup lockers per drive-thru lane.